My grandmother is the queen of the news. I don’t have a lot of time to watch the news, so I get most of my information from her or tidbits that my husband heard on NPR driving to or from work. This is why I didn’t hear about the McNeil recall until yesterday – I hadn’t talked to my grandmother!
McNeil has recalled a significant amount of Infant and Children’s Medication. This recall includes varieties of Motrin, Tylenol, Zyrtec, and Benadryl. You can read the full list along with their NDC numbers (found in the top right corner above the name of the medication) on the McNeil Recall page. They state that the recall is not being issued due to “adverse medical events,” but because the products “may not meet required quality standards.” That being said, they also say not to give the products to your children because there may be too much of the active ingredient. Either way, they are asking us to discontinue use. You can also contact McNeil through their website or at 1-888-222-6036.
And just for the record, every one of the five bottles of Children’s Motrin and Tylenol that I have has been recalled, so please check your cabinets.
What do you do about this recall, you ask? Feel free to call or contact McNeil to see what they say. I also called my local Walgreens and CVS for answers. Walgreens said that they’ve received no information about this, so they won’t return anything without a receipt (not shocking). CVS said that I could bring in my unopened packages and they would happily issue me a refund with a receipt or a CVS cash card without one. I’ll be stopping by CVS later this week.
If that’s not enough for us parents to worry about, there’s this whole new debacle with the Pamper’s Dry-Max. Many parents are coming forward saying that their children are developing chemical-like burns and severe rashes from the new diapers. In response to this issue, Pampers has issued a statement (included at the bottom of this post) and is referring all concerned parents to read the FAQs on the Pampers site and/or contact them at 1-800-PAMPERS.
I am not taking a stance one way or the other on this issue because I honestly have no idea. Many of you know that I was involved in trying the product with my daughter before it was on the market and I feel that it’s important to let you know that I did not see any adverse reaction during my trial period. That does not mean that something hasn’t changed since I tried them or that something to do with the shipment/packaging process isn’t involved (mine were packaged differently). You do what you feel is best for your child.
Here is the statement issued by a representative from Pampers:
At Pampers, nothing is more important to us than the health and well being of babies. That’s been our reason for being for over 40 years. Whenever we make an improvement to our diaper – whether it was the introduction of adhesive tape followed by stretch many years ago up to the new Dry Max technology today – our overriding concern is that the product is safe. We have an entire division that is devoted to product safety, and we conducted extensive safety assessments including clinical tests before we introduced our new diaper. Pampers with Dry Max is the most mom- and baby-tested diapers in our history. More than 20,000 babies from around the world involving more than 300,000 diaper changes were part of the development of Dry Max. This is one of Pampers’ most thoroughly researched and tested new products ever.
According to Dr. David Schonfeld, a member of the Pampers Parenting Network and Thelma and Jack Rubinstein Professor of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, “I’ve reviewed the consumer and clinical data and feel comfortable that Pampers with Dry Max underwent rigorous safety testing and is a safe product. As a pediatrician, this is exactly the kind of testing I would hope to see in a diaper. Diaper rashes are usually caused by irritation from feces and urine – it’s called a diaper rash because it appears in the area that diapers are worn. Although a good diaper helps to protect the baby’s sensitive skin, some diaper rashes are still going to occur no matter how good the diaper is. The testing that Pampers conducted before the diapers were sold and the monitoring of complaints since it has been on the market do not show any evidence that Dry Max causes more diaper rashes than the product it replaced.”
Diaper rash is one of the most common ailments affecting babies and toddlers with many causes and symptoms of varying severity. In general, a healthy baby is expected to get a diaper rash roughly 3-4 times a year with some percent deemed severe – meaning the rash is deep red, with possible blisters and/or breaks in the skin. Some of these rashes can have appearance characteristics typically associated with burns. When you consider that there are about 10,000,000 babies in diapers in the US alone combined with the frequency of the rash, it makes sense that as hundreds of thousands of parents switch to Dry Max diapers, some many have children that coincidentally develop diaper rashes at the same time.
As background, our Dry Max diaper uses the same type of ingredients as our other diaper and in fact, many other disposable diapers on the market. The improvement is in the design and manufacture of the diaper, which allowed us to create a diaper that is 20% thinner than before and is our driest diaper ever as it helps lock in wetness.
Moms are voting for Pampers with Dry Max in a big way with their purchases. Millions of bags of Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers have been purchased in the last several weeks alone. We’re also proud that Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max has received product awards from Parenting Magazine, iParenting Media, Mom’s Choice Awards and Parent Tested/Parent Approved.
And in a recent survey of parents requesting samples of Pampers with Dry Max, 70% preferred our new diaper over their usual brand – the highest score of this kind we’ve seen. This is consistent with the overall positive feedback we’re seeing from parents.
Still, we know that every product change can be a source of stress for some parents who have grown to love their current products and don’t always understand why we made a change. We are always concerned to hear from any parent who has a bad experience with our diapers and take reports of rash or skin health concerns seriously. Babies’ well-being has always been and continues to be our top priority.
Alli is a Chicago based wife and mother of two children. She has turned money-saving into a game and enjoys searching out the best deals to help you save money! Alli shares her insight, tips and up-to-the-minute deals for local and national retailers and brands. Her hope is that you will play the game and learn to save money at the same time!